The man looked at Vivian.
A slow smile spread across his face.
It wasn't exaggerated.
It wasn't loud.
It was worse.
Controlled.
Madeleine began trembling harder. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Vivian felt her heart pounding in her ears.
—Boss, should we wait for the others to arrive?
The man didn't respond immediately.
He watched.
As if analyzing something.
—Call them —he finally said—. I don't want to wait.
Vivian was tied to the metal chair. The cold steel had seeped into her bones.
Her voice came out shaky:
—You… have something to do with the missing girls?
Everyone looked at her.
The intensity of their stares made her shrink.
The boss answered without emotion:
—Yes.
The silence grew heavy.
—Wh… why? —she whispered.
—You don't need to know.
He stepped toward her.
—Those who are going to die don't need explanations.
Madeleine let out a muffled whimper.
The boss leaned slightly toward Vivian.
—You just have to run.
Vivian looked at him, confused.
—Run… and entertain us.
Madeleine spoke, trembling:
—Are you some kind of cult?
Some of the men laughed.
The boss tilted his head.
—You could call it that.
He turned to his men.
—Get ready.
One of the men who had been violent before stepped forward.
—Boss, these girls won't understand unless we scare them more.
The boss looked at him.
And without warning—
Smack!
The slap echoed loudly inside the warehouse.
The man fell to the ground from the force.
—Don't repeat that —the boss said calmly, but dangerously—. I decide how they understand.
The man on the floor nodded, touching his cheek.
—Yes… boss.
—Call the rest. I want this finished tonight.
He paused.
—And gag them. I don't want to repeat mistakes. Last time was… inconvenient.
Those words froze Vivian's blood.
They gagged them again.
They were yanked up roughly and dragged toward the back exit.
The forest stretched before them.
Dark.
Endless.
The wind moved through the high branches with a constant whisper.
They were placed in front of the tree line.
—Look carefully —one of the men said—. No one hears screams out here.
Minutes passed.
More vehicles began arriving.
Black trucks.
Doors slamming.
Laughter.
Whistles.
—So these are the ones.
—The captains, right?
—Wow.
Vivian felt her stomach twist.
The atmosphere changed.
It was no longer just a kidnapping.
It was organized.
Planned.
After nearly an hour, everyone was ready.
One by one, they began putting on masks.
Some white.
Some black.
Some shaped in strange designs.
The boss remained without a mask.
—You know what to do —he said.
One man raised his hand.
—Can we…?
The boss looked at him.
The man swallowed.
—Can we do whatever we want when we catch them?
Silence.
The boss smiled.
A smile that didn't reach his eyes.
—When they're dead, you can do whatever you want.
Vivian felt the air leave her lungs.
Madeleine began struggling.
One of the men slapped her.
The sharp sound disappeared into the trees.
The boss raised his hand.
—Enough.
Another man stepped forward, dissatisfied.
—Boss, with girls li—
He didn't finish.
The air around the boss changed.
It became heavy.
Dense.
As if the pressure had suddenly increased.
An invisible force cut through the space.
The man froze.
His skin began to crack.
Like porcelain.
As if something inside him was breaking outward.
And in one second—
His body tore apart.
His skin peeled away like it had been ripped off.
He fell to the ground screaming.
No one moved.
The boss lowered his hand.
—Anyone else?
Absolute silence.
Vivian and Madeleine were paralyzed.
That wasn't human.
That wasn't possible.
The boss turned toward them.
—You won't escape.
Pause.
—You'll only be allowed to run.
He ordered their gags removed.
Vivian breathed with difficulty.
—Why…? —she managed to say—. Why let us run if you're just going to catch us?
The boss studied her with interest.
—Because if you survive until dawn…
He looked up at the dark sky above the forest.
—you may leave.
The words hung in the air.
—We'll give you a thirty-minute head start.
Some of the men began laughing.
—Run.
The boss stepped back.
—Hide.
He turned to his men.
—When the clock strikes the hour… the hunt begins.
One of them cut the ropes binding her wrists.
Blood rushed back into Vivian's fingers with sharp pain.
—Thirty minutes —the boss repeated.
The wind moved through the trees.
The forest seemed endless.
Dark.
Hungry.
—Now run.
Vivian grabbed Madeleine's hand.
For the first time since this began…
she wasn't frozen.
She was terrified.
Truly terrified.
But something else had awakened.
Instinct.
And together, they ran into the forest.
Behind them, laughter began counting down the time.